“He Stopped Loving Her Today” was written as a comedy song?

From the disillusionment department: I’m reading a book I got from the library called “Cocaine and Rhinestones,” the author has a podcast by the same name. It’s about George Jones and Tammy Wynette, and as you can gather from the title it’s an uncensored look at their lives. I’m not disillusioned by that, I knew that stuff already, both of them were certifiable albeit extraordinarily talented.

But the disillusionment is from the comments of Bobby Braddock, one of the great country songwriters, who along with Curly Putman wrote “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”

Would you believe their intention was for that to be a comedy song? Johnny Russell actually recorded it as one but it was never released.

The only reason it’s considered this utterly sad country classic is Billy Sherrill’s production with all the strings and the new bridge Sherrill got them to write about the woman coming to the funeral home.

But if you read the lyrics without that bridge … danged if Braddock isn’t right. It would work as funny, at least to my eyes.

The things you learn in books … thoughts?